LBL Currents -- April 29, 1994

Team announces first evidence of "top quark"

By Lynn Yarris, LCYarris@lbl.gov

"A major milestone for modern physics...likely to produce waves of
intellectual satisfaction for physicists around the world and to give
American physics a significant boost," proclaimed the front page story in
the New York Times.

An international collaboration of physicists, including a team from LBL,
may have sounded an end to the 17-year hunt for a crucial missing piece
in the scientific picture of matter when they announced this week the
first
experimental evidence for the subatomic particle known as the top quark.

The experiment was carried out at Fermi National Accelerator
Laboratory's Tevatron, the world's most powerful collider, by the
440-member Collider
Detector at Fermilab (CDF) collaboration. Though not claiming a confirmed
discovery, the CDF group reports that analysis of high-energy collisions
between beams of protons and antiprotons "points strongly" to the
production of top quarks at a mass of about 174 GeV (billion electron
volts), which is about as heavy as an atom of gold and makes the top quark
by far the heaviest elementary particle ever observed.

The CDF group has presented their results in a paper submitted to The
Physical Review.

The existence of the top quark is required by the Standard Model, the
prevailing theory of the nature of matter. This theory holds there are
six quarks, grouped into three distinct pairs, that combine to form
composite particles, such as the protons and neutrons in the nuclei of
atoms. The fifth of these six, called the bottom quark, was discover
ed at Fermilab in 1977. Scientists have been searching for its partner,
the top quark, ever since.

"We were confident that we would
eventually find the top quark," says Lina Galtieri, a physicist in the
Physics Division who heads the CDF group at LBL. "However, if we had gone
much longer without finding it, then we might have had to consider w
hether something was wrong with the Standard Model."

The key to revealing the top quark's existence was the CDF detector,
which is actually a 2,000-ton array of more than 100,000 individual
particle detectors arranged around a point in the Tevatron where beams of
protons and antiprotons collide. This detector system serves as a giant
trap from which no known particles (other than neutrinos) or forms
of energy can escape.

When a top quark is formed, it promptly decays into a bottom quark and a
W boson, which is one of two particles that carry the weak nuclear force.
Using data collected between 1992 and 1993 that included 16 million fully
analyzed proton-antiproton collisions, the CDF group made three separate
searches for the top quark based on the different ways
in which bottom quarks and W bosons (which also decay rapidly) are
detected. Combining the results of the three searches yielded evidence
for the top quark's production.

"It is possible that we are seeing a rare statistical fluctuation," says
Galtieri, "but we have a good indication that the top quark may be
there."

Physicists and engineers at LBL designed a sophisticated
microchip for the Silicon Vertex Detector, an extremely high resolution
instrument at the heart of the CDF array that enabled precise identif
ication and tracking of bottom quarks. Galtieri's group also analyzed the
CDF data to determine the mass of the top quark candidates. This analysis
was based on a technique developed at LBL in the 1960s by the research
group which was led by the late Nobel laureate Luis Alvarez.

"CDF's new evidence does not end the story but rather gives the first
indications of a new field of research," says LBL physicist and CDF
co-spokesperson Bill Carithers. "Many think that new phenomena are likely
to show up at higher masses and the top quark is the most massive
particle we know so far."

The CDF group expects that new data from another Tevatron experiment now
underway will produce enough additional top quarks this year to confirm
the particle's existence and to allow a more precise measurement of its
mass. If the extremely large mass already reported is correct, it may
help scientists better understand the process by which all obj
ects acquire mass.

Director highlights Lab's work in State of the Lab address

By Jeffery Kahn, JBKahn@lbl.gov

LBL Director Charles Shank gave his annual State of the Laboratory
address to
employees on April 22, reviewing the outstanding work of the Laboratory
in the
past year, introducing a new LBL Strategic Plan, and describing efforts
underway to keep the Laboratory at the forefront of science.

Shank said that over its history, the Laboratory has adapted to changes
in
science and the questions it poses. Today, the nature of what is being
asked of
the national laboratories again is changing. Thanks to its tradition of
interdisciplinary teamwork, he said, LBL is well-equipped to respond,
teaming
basic and applied researchers to tackle and solve problems of national
importance.

"The Cold War is now part of the past, and the early missions of the
national
laboratories--weapons and nuclear power--have receded into the
background. So
now," Shank said, "the question becomes, what is the nation going to do
with its national laboratories?"

He said the Secretary of Energy's Advisory Board Task Force on
Alternative Futures for the DOE Laboratories has been charged with
responding to this question. The task force, chaired by Robert Galvin of
the Motorola Corp., is due to visit LBL on June 15. Shank said the
recommendations it makes in the next year will play a major role toward
charting the future of LBL.

Shank urged LBL's scientists to begin thinking of themselves not as basic
or applied researchers nor as members of 14 separate divisions, but
rather, as a team of problem solvers.

"To communicate with nonscientists, we can't sell ourselves by
continuing to talk about chemistry, physics, and biology in terms that cause
the eyes to glaze over. Instead," he said, "we have to start talking about
teaming up to solve problems of national importance."

Whether a project is basic or applied, Shank said the key to success
often involves packaging our expertise with that of others. He urged broader
interaction with industry, with the University of California, and with
the Department of Energy's other national laboratories.

In terms of partnerships, Shank said much closer links have been forged
to DOE in the past year. One immediate benefit, he said, is that LBL is
broadening its commitment to training and employee development. In an
effort to improve how we work together, he said, every LBL manager will
be participating in the Zenger Miller Leadership Program, which recently
graduated its first class of participants.

Shank said LBL's partnership with the University of California also is
prospering. Major collaborations are in the works between LBL's Human
Genome
Center and the Berkeley campus and further partnerships are being
discussed in
structural biology. All told, said Shank, "We are on the threshold of
reinventing the way biology is done."

Industrial interactions also are increasing. As one barometer, Shank
cited the
Lab's Cooperative Research and Development Agreements. By the end of this
fiscal year, LBL expects to have signed 40 CRADAs.

The Director also reviewed LBL's contribution to the local community. He
praised Earth Sciences Division Director Sally Benson and Rob Johnson,
head of the New Initiatives Support Group, for their efforts to assist in
the creation of new job opportunities at the Bay Area military bases now
slated for closure.

"This is community service," he said. "There is no expectation of funds
coming to the Laboratory from these base closure efforts."

Shank also acknowledged the work of the Environmental, Health, and Safety
Division, saying that thanks to EH&S and the collaborative efforts of
employees throughout the Lab, regulatory agencies now recognize LBL as a
model facility.

Shank said one of his top priorities in the coming year is improving the
Lab's communications programs. A major examination of internal and external
communications currently is underway.

The director discussed a broad range of scientific achievements,
highlighted by the stunning first-year performance of the Advanced
Light Source. "The Advanced Light Source is up and running, delivering a
beam on schedule 95 percent of the time. Amazingly," he said, "you can turn
the ALS beam off over the weekend and on Monday, routinely turn it back on
and get photons. This is absolutely astonishing and unexpected."

In the field of environmental remediation, Shank said LBL is developing a
promising new chemical barrier for blocking the spread of contaminants
underground. Researchers believe an inert polymeric compound can be
injected into the ground, creating an underground gelatinous barrier that
prevents the spread of a subsurface plume. Field tests have been
scheduled at Hanford.

Other major scientific developments of the past year include the funding
of the B-factory, the development of biomolecular films that can recognize
and detect target molecules including the influenza virus, work on an
energy-efficient sulfur molecular emitter lamp, early research results and
progress toward completion of the Gammasphere, and the ability to do
"point catalysis" with a scanning tunneling microscope.

In terms of communications, the State of the Laboratory address itself
broke new ground. For the first time, the noontime talk was video
transmitted from the Bldg. 50 auditorium to remote sites on the Hill.

Lab introduces new LBL Strategic Plan

By Jeffery Kahn, JBKahn@lbl.gov

Responding to a changing world and new national priorities, LBL Director
Charles Shank has announced the results of a two-year labwide effort to
forge a shared vision for the Lab's future.

LBL's new Strategic Plan, which the Director highlighted in his Friday,
April 22, State of the Laboratory address (see page one), is the
culmination of an unusual planning process that gave everyone on the Hill
an opportunity to participate. Copies of the plan will be distributed to
every employee.

The plan begins with the premise that if LBL's heritage of scientific
leadership is to be sustained, the Laboratory must dramatically change.
The plan observes that by most measures of success--citation analyses,
peer reviews, and DOE evaluations--LBL has an unmatched history of
scientific discovery. Yet, since 1988, the Lab's share of the total f
unds distributed among the five DOE multiprogram labs has declined from
just under 15 percent to about 11.3 percent. This is partly attributable
to the winding down of the Cold
War and the much more competitive environment in which we find
ourselves.

It was to reverse this trend that, in April 1992, LBL
launched the effort--under the direction of Deputy Director Pier
Oddone--that led to the strategic plan. Every division director was asked
to develop a divisional vision, depicting current divisional strengths
and futu
re directions. Then, the division directors met with lab managers and
drafted a broader Vision 2000 statement that establishes the central
goals of the strategic planning effort.

Guided by Vision 2000, six task forces were created. These groups were
asked to define issues and objectives and to develop recommendations in
the following areas: National Research Needs; Core Competencies;
Scientific Initiatives; Partnerships; Commitment to Our People; and
Making an LBL That Works. Following labwide discussions and town meetings,
each task force issued a report. Then, senior management worked with
these recommendations, integrating the collective product into a
strategic report.

The principals responsible for the report emphasize that the process of
planning LBL's future is ongoing. That said, they also share the belief
that LBL is at a crossroads. The Strategic Plan serves as a vital
roadmap, guiding LBL from its past toward a different future.

The plan is divided into three sections--Scientific Objectives and
Strategies; Management Objectives and Strategies; and Actions.

In terms of science, it outlines an agenda for the next decade that
reflects both the research needs of the nation and the Lab's unique
abilities to contribute to those needs. The plan states, "We possess an
outstanding set of skills in both basic and applied research, and are
committed to adding value to society by weaving them into a coherent pr
ogram that carries us from the most basic studies to technology
developments of economic value."

To ensure continuing scientific excellence, the Strategic Plan calls for
"reinventing" the Laboratory "government". Among its goals:

Integrating and streamling LBL's support system

Reviving the historic sense of community that has waned as the lab has
taken on multiple scientific emphases.

Training managers in the skills of leadership and encouraging career
growth for all employees.

Six actions

The plan commits the Laboratory to a package of six specific actions
designed to mobilize the laboratory through an investment in its strengths.
The actions are:

We will allocate significantly enhanced resources to support
high-priority
initiatives.

We will establish a strong industrial program.

We will reinforce our historic partnership with the University of
California
at Berkeley.

* We will prioritize and implement the 70 recommendations of the task
force on
making an LBL that works.

We will establish a broad training initiative designed to enhance
skills,
career opportunities, and employee development across the board.

We will establish a broad communications program.

LBL Strategic Plan: Director's Preface

By Charles V. Shank

For more than 60 years, the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory has maintained a
strong tradition of outstanding research. Established as a particle
physics accelerator facility, the Laboratory has undergone dramatic
changes since its early years, evolving into a multiprogram institution
that pursues not only accelerator-based research, but also research in
areas as diverse as chemistry, the biosciences, the environmental and
earth sciences, advanced materials, and energy resources and energy
efficiency. One of LBL's greatest strengths through the years has been
its ability to remain at the frontiers of science despite changing
scientific priorities. Critical to this ability has been the intimate
connection, unique among national laboratories, to a great research unive
rsity. On the threshold of the 21st century, the Laboratory is once again
addressing broad new challenges.

Today, the role of the Department of Energy and its national laboratories
is undergoing fundamental change. With the end of the Cold War and in the
face of pressing national budget constraints, new federal priorities have
emerged. Economic growth, competitiveness in the global marketplace, and
preeminence in science and engineering education have
become the driving concerns for the government, private industry, and the
public.

In 1992 I initiated a major strategic planning effort at LBL. The purpose
of this effort was to define the Laboratory's major objectives as it
moves toward the new century and to provide LBL, its employees, its
partners, and the Department of Energy with a clear statement of our
plans for the future. One of the first products of this effort was a
statement of our vision for the Laboratory at the dawn of the 21st
century, a statement we call Vision 2000. This vision establishes the
central goals of the Laboratory's strategic planning effort. It focuses
on the DOE as our primary sponsor, but also establishes a commitment to
reaching out and forging new partnerships with industry, academia, a
nd other national laboratories. The strategic plan outlined in the
following pages provides specific strategies and actions that will
advance the Laboratory toward achieving these goals and thus toward
meeting the challenges of the 21st century.

As part of the strategic planning endeavor that produced this plan, we
undertook to define our core competencies, as well as the nation's
research needs, and to look critically at the scientific and management
objectives implied in Vision 2000. We sought to assess our programs and
our operating context, to define the issues confronting us as we fa
ce the future, and to address both LBL and DOE program objectives.

During the past several years, DOE has begun to address the dramatically
changed national and international environment. Last year, under the
direction of Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary, the Department itself was
restructured to mirror the priorities of this changed world--to decrease
emphasis on defense programs and increase the commitment of
resources to promoting energy efficiency, technology partnerships, and
environmental restoration, the overarching goal being to enhance U.S.
economic and technological competitiveness. I believe that the national
laboratories will play a critical role in meeting these new challenges.
Indeed, LBL has already taken active steps in response to Secret
ary O'Leary's Total Quality Management Initiative--an integral part of
her vision for a revitalized DOE.

Since all employees have a stake in addressing these challenges, LBL
established mechanisms for broad involvement in developing the strategic
plan. Specific task forces were established to define issues and
objectives and to develop recommendations in the following areas:
national research needs, core competencies, scientific initiatives,
partners
hips, commitment to our people, and making an LBL that works. Following
labwide discussion of the many issues involved, the senior management of
the Laboratory formulated a long-term strategy that integrates the task
forces' findings and recommendations. As a national laboratory, LBL is
committed to addressing the critical research and technical i
ssues facing the nation. We have identified these issues and proposed a
strategic direction that will maintain the Laboratory's position of
scientific and engineering leadership well into the 21st century.

As LBL charts its course into the next century, we will continue to
refine our strategic objectives and actions. We are strengthening our
partnerships with industry, other laboratories, and educational
institutions to better serve both community and national needs. We will
continue to engage in new fundamental research at the scientific
frontiers,
which is the key to attracting and retaining outstanding staff. In
pursuing excellence in research, we must expect continuous flux in the
balance among research areas, as national needs change.

Nonetheless, we have identified three areas in which the match between
our strengths and today's needs suggests the greatest opportunities. The
first is biosciences, where our activities in the human genome project,
the emerging life sciences capabilities represented by the ALS, and our
distinction in cell and molecular biology represent a solid p
latform upon which to build an expanding program. Likewise, current
capabilities in the materials sciences and developing capabilities in
environmental sciences point to two other areas where we have unique
opportunities to expand and strengthen important research programs. At
the same time, we recognize that we must invest Laboratory resources in
these areas if we are to realize our vision for continuing
preeminence.

As we go forward, our goal is to see our people and our technological
capabilities serve as a unique and valuable resource for the nation's
future. I believe that this strategic plan is a major step toward this
goal, and toward realization of my own dream for LBL--that it continue to
be a place where the most talented scientists of our generation
spend their creative years solving problems that change the way we live
and enhance our understanding of the universe around us.

Charles V. Shank, Director

Earth Month wraps up

The entire month of April became Earth Month at LBL this year, with an
array of activities offered each week. Nature walks, an eco-film
festival, an organic composting class, and guest lectures were presented,
so that there was something for everyone to enjoy.

The Eco-Fair on April 20 was the largest event, with more than 25
displays of earth-saving ideas from outside vendors and guests as well as
several LBL groups and departments. Eco-rapper Iza, a.k.a. "The Goddess,"
was on hand to provide some very unique entertainment,.

The committee would like to express many thanks to all LBL employees who
volunteered to help with the Earth Day Eco Fair, as well as the divisions
and groups who participated in the fair. These groups include Earth
Sciences, Energy & Environment, Transportation, LBL Bicycle
Coalition, In House Energy Management, Waste Minimization, Site Restor
ation, Emergency Services, and Purchasing & Inventory Management.

*Date change from what is printed in the Quarterly Course
Announcement.

Preregistration is required for all courses except New Employee
Orientation (EHS 10). Call the Emergency Preparedness Office at X6554 to
register for: CPR, First Aid, Fire Extinguisher Use, Earthquake Safety,
and Building Emergency Team Training. Call X6612 or send a fax (X6608)
with your name, extension, and employee number to preregister for all
other EH&S courses.

Chemathon puts students to the test

By Mike Wooldridge, MAWooldridge@lbl.gov

Students came in from the rain at Albany High School on April 22, only to
be soaked with science. Nearly 1,700 high school chemistry and biology
buffs from the Bay Area and beyond put their scientific stamina to the
test at the 9th annual Chemathon, an event co-sponsored by LBL and other
scientific institutions.

Students raced through a smorgasbord of 64 science exhibits, watching
presentations and competing with one another on tests. The exhibits were
challenging but fun, with titles like "Atomic Structure in a Bohring
Fashion" and "Don't Judge a Book by Its Integument." Some even had a
local flavor, such as the demonstration of the chemistry of tie-dyei
ng.

For the fourth year, LBL's Nuclear Science Division sponsored several
exhibits at the event, giving students experience with research equipment
straight out of the Laboratory. LBL organizer Howard Matis and Gulshan
Rai used a spark chamber to detect the high energy cosmic rays that
bombard earth from space. In Martin Partland's cloud chamber, stud
ents saw silver vapor trails of condensed alcohol. Westfall generated by
beta-ray emissions. Gary Westphal helped students learn about one of the
hottest scientific fields by levitating magnets above a nitrogen-cooled
superconductor.

Using more commonplace materials, NSD's Dick McDonald and Peggy McMahon
surprised participants with radioactive substances they come in contact
with every day. Students heard a Geiger counter crackle when put up to a
smoke detector, a table salt substitute and glazed pottery. Rollie Otto,
director of the Center for Science and Engineering Educatio
n, gave students a taste of what atoms are made of by having them build
models of atomic nuclei out of marshmallows.

Matis said he thinks the LBL workshops brought something special to the
Chemathon. "Some of the students had never met scientists before. We
showed them that science is much more than the vocabulary quizzes they
take in school. We showed them that science can be exciting."

PHOTO CAPTION -- Martin Partland teaches Chemathon participants about
different types of radiation, and lets them see what their learning about
with a ray-detecting cloud chamber.

PHOTO CAPTION -- Colored ones are protons, white ones are neutrons.
Rollie Otto demonstrates the nuances of atomic nuclei to students at the
Chemathon with marshmallows.

Seaborg feted for latest
book

By Mike Wooldridge, MAWooldridge@lbl.gov

The newest resident on the periodic chart had another cause for
celebration last week. LBL Associate Lab Director-at-Large Glenn T.
Seaborg, co-discoverer of seaborgium, was honored at UC Berkeley's
Institute of Governmental Studies for the recent publication of his
latest book, "Chancellor at Berkeley."

The reception was somewhat of a "who's who" of campus history, with many
UC Berkeley luminaries showing up to share memories of their friend and
colleague. Speakers included Clark Kerr, whom Seaborg succeeded as
chancellor, UC Berkeley quarterback and coaching great Joe Kapp, and
former UC president David Gardner.

Seaborg was chancellor of the University from 1958 to 1961, a time of
"unprecedented development," he writes. Academically, Berkeley was
driving to the top in academic excellence. (In 1964, a landmark study
rated Berkeley the "best-balanced distinguished" research university in
the United States.) Seaborg also saw three Nobel Prizes awarded to Ber
keley faculty during his tenure.

It was also the golden age of UC Berkeley sports. The school sent a
football team to the Rose Bowl and watched a basketball team win their
only NCAA championship. Seaborg also played an important role in shaping
what is now the Pac-10 athletic conference.

The many successes occurred amidst significant unrest on the campus.
There were the first stirrings of student activism, as well as battles
over the House Un-American Activities Committee, the FBI and
McCarthyism.

"Those two-and-a-half years were filled with action,"
Seaborg said at the reception. "I don't think there was ever a more
exciting period, before or after."

Seaborg left the university in 1961 to chair the Atomic Energy Commission
under John F. Kennedy.

"Chancellor at Berkeley" is available from the Institute of Governmental
Studies. For more information, call the institute at 642-1474.

Puzzle fun

by Maggie Morley
The first Earthling to solve this wins a thermal mug.

ACROSS

1. Provinces (abbr.)

6. Ballet costume

10. Comes after phos- or onco-

14. Big water

15. Khomeni's homeland

16. WWII's Bradley

17. What Rachel Carson heard

20. Where to pack your pieces

21. Statuary

22. Keep these up to date!

23. Prom

24. Pulpy

28. Absconds

33. He wrote The Duino Elegies

34. To glaze or stiffen
fabric

35. Pinocchio's finny friend

36. _________ correct

39. B. Darin's wife

40. Flunk

41. How far you used to walk for a Camel

42. Ghastly

44. Seem

45. Set

46. A Yale Man

47. Endangered region

51. Upward strabismus

56. What Zubin Mehta does

58. Otherwise

59. Comes before -blast or -morph

60. The Murphy with all those
medals

61. A round of these at a pub

62. British submachine
gun

63. Seven in Guadalajara

DOWN

1. How ____ the little crocodile . . .

2. Resound

3. Strip

4. Soviet News Agency

5. Informer

6. Rows or ranks

7. One for regular; one for decaf

8. Make lace

9. Implicit

10. He wrote "Earth in the Balance"

11. Give out

12. Zola
heroine

13. Units of work

18. To assess; to collect

19. Hookah

23. Ms. O'Leary

24. Forward

25. Cielito _______

26. Young eel

27. Hotdogger

28. Ape

29. Rascal

30. Colonel North

31. Most Happy ________

32. Vestibule

34. He always leaves a trail

37. Malfeasances in Yorkshire

38. Cassava plants

43. Maestro Stravinsky

44. Ballplayers Felipe, Jesus,

and Matty

46. _______ a sour note

47. Befuddled

48. To do unspeakable things to

perfectly good wine

49. Vaulted recess in a church

50. Sports cars

51. First thing you do at a poker game

52. Yech!
Pfaugh!

53. Point of view

54. Startup file

55. He wrote "A Death in the Family"

57. Month (abbr.)

Jazz on the Hill

The UC Berkeley Jazz Ensemble's Wednesday Band will make their 11th
annual appearance at LBL on Friday, May 6. The band, directed by Dave
LeFebvre, will perform at noon on the cafeteria lawn, weather permitting.
All employees are invited to drop by and enjoy this entertaining
group.

Lab postcards

The Lab now has its own postcards. The two cards--one an areal view of
the Lab with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, and the other a
view of the Advanced Light Source--are available through the Employee
Buying Service. They sell for 25 cents apiece. The EBS booth is in the
cafeteria lobby from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Mondays, Wednesdays,
and Fridays.

More about gate passes...

Gate passes for visitors may be obtained through E-mail
(GATE_PASSES@LBL.GOV), in addition to Quickmail and facsimile (X6169) as
explained in last weeks Currents.

Requests for Blue Triangle parking for guests can only be made by
division offices. All gate pass requests should be made by 4 p.m. the day
preceding a
guest's visit.

Lab life

William Moses of the Life Sciences Division's Center for Functional
Imaging, and his wife, Martha, are the proud parents of a new daughter,
Ellen, born March 10. Ellen weighed in at 7 lbs. 3 oz. She joins big
brothers Robert and Stephen.